De la democratie en Amerique (3 volume set)

Paris : Michel Levy Freres, 1864-01-01. Quatorzime edition, 14th. Hardcover. Acceptable. 0x0x0. 3 volume set. 1/2 leather over textured boards. Leather spines rubbed, chipped with loss to spine compartments. Internally, generally clean, unmarked pages. One page has a light penciled note, minor spotting to prelims. 14th edition of Tocqueville's extremely important and influential analysis of American democracy "one of the most important texts in political literature." (PMM). <br> Democracy in America is "the first systematic and empirical study of the effects of political power on modern society" (Nisbet). The work originated in a trip commissioned by the French government to study the American penal system in 1831-32. In 1835, the first edition of the first part of the work (Volumes I and II) was published in Paris,--and throughout the intellectual circles of Western Europe both democracy and America took on a new aspect and a new significance in political speculation (NYU, 955). <br> Overall, Tocqueville's conclusions were that the trend of history would irresistibly lean towards equality; and that the future of France, indeed of the Western world, was bound up with the acceptance of democratic principles, these being the one effective means of avoiding submission to tyranny (Harvey and Heseltine, 711). This is an oversized or heavy book, that requires additional postage for international delivery outside the US.